


Paradise

by thenewnationalanthem (moxielovesshipping)



Series: Damn Near Platonic [2]
Category: Septiplier - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Benches, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Comfort/Angst, Crying, M/M, Men Crying, Ocean, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Water, fear of water
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 01:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10606755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moxielovesshipping/pseuds/thenewnationalanthem
Summary: "A paradise is a beautiful thing."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Kissing in Cars by PTV is a great song to listen to while reading this. Though the relationship is platonic, it's a very strong bond between them as kids, and the song is about how teens/children have no idea what they want in life. So, yeah, this fic is a little angsty.

_As Jack wanders the park, he notes a sad brunette boy, about his age, sitting on the bench with his feet kicking up sand. He was watching the ocean with a longing look, but not making a move to go towards it. "I wonder why he's so down?" Jack asks himself. Being the sweet young boy he is, he walks up to the boy and sits on the bench with him._

 

_"What's wrong? Are you sad?"_

 

_Jack asks, and they boy looks up at him with almond shaped chocolate eyes, filled with confusion and disarray. "What?"_

_Jack only smiles, he doesn't mind repeating himself. "Are you sad?"_

 

_The boy looks at him more, giving him a once over as he shakes his head and looks down. "No, i'm not sad. I wanna go to the ocean."_

 

_Jack makes an "oh" shape with his mouth, nodding his head and scooting closer to the boy. "Well then why don't you go? Where's your parents?"_

 

_The brunette looks up at him, running a hand through his hair. "She's at home, she's cooking."_

 

_"Oh. Do you live far then?" Jack questions, watching as the boy's feet kick up more sand between his naturally tanned feet. He hadn't said anything else about the ocean, so Jack felt it was best not to bring it up._

 

_"No, i don't." He huffed._

 

_"Ah, well, i can walk you home if you're not gonna get in the water. I don't live far either. It's getting late, and the dark isn't any place for young boys. 'Least, that's what my ma says."_

 

_The boy perks up, locking eyes with Jack's baby blue's._

 

_"You can?"_

 

_"Of course. Where do you live?" Jack bounces up, holding out his hand to help the boy off the bench, using his sneakers to slide his shoes to him._

 

_"Orange Street," he started, slipping on his shoes but ignoring Jack's offer for help. "What about you?"_

 

_"Oh, same. I just moved here, so i don't know much about my surroundings, except from home to this park and back, so you'll have to lead."_

 

_The boy only nodded, standing up and grimacing at the feeling of sand between his toes. He motioned towards Jack, who sped up to walk next to him. There was a long silence, and Jack was taking in the gorgeous nature around them, he had never taken the nature trail home before. He stayed to the main roads, keeping an eye out for cars and making sure he always had his cell phone in case anything went wrong. Then, he looked over at the boy accompanying him, and how his brunette hair shimmered in the daylight, how his eyes sparkled with wonder for the things around him, and how his saunter was with purpose, no hesitation on where he was going._

 

_"Mark." The boy said, making Jack look back at his eyes. He tilted his head in confusion, then realized it was probably the boy's name._

 

_"Maerk?" He said, his accent fluctuating the vowels in his name. The boy snickered, gripping his stomach as he burst into full giggles._

 

_"You say my name funny. What's your name?" He said, calming down and looking back forwards as they neared the familiar street._

 

_"Sean, but, I like to be called Jack." He nodded, fiddling with the earring in his ear out of nervousness. They arrived at a big white house, with a gorgeous blue car outside in the driveway, and Jack scrunched up his face in confusion. He noticed Mark chuckle, and he looked at him._

_"What?" Mark asked, walking up to the front porch of the door. Jack looks over at the house next to them, a brown wooden house that looks like it had been standing for years._

 

_"You're my new neighbor. That's my house." He points, smiling fondly at his home. Mark smiles._

 

_"Oh cool, maybe we can hang out sometimes. For now, though, i think dinner is almost ready." Mark stared at Jack fondly, then frowned a bit._

 

_"What's wrong? You've got that face you had at the park." Mark seemed to be in a trance, then he locked eyes again with Jack, smiling wearily._

 

_"Nothing, it's fine. Thank you."_

 

_"For what?"_

 

_"Walking me home. I do that everyday, sit on that bench and kick sand around. Longing for the ocean. It helps me think about things. Noone's ever talked to me, save for a handful of girls who only wanted my number." He huffed, bouncing from leg to leg nervously._

 

_"Can i have your number? Since, i'm not a girl." Jack smiled, leaning against a column holding the house up. Mark gave a breathy laugh, holding out his palm expectedly._

 

_"Sure, let me see your phone."_

 

_They exchanged numbers and said their goodbyes, giving a brief, awkward hug that neither would admit they needed. For weeks after, Mark would sit on the bench and text Jack. Jack would come to the park, and they would talk about everything. Sometimes, Jack would get really emotional, and Mark would hold him until he stopped crying, and fell asleep. They'd sit there for hours on end, then they would walk home. There was an unspoken rule between them, that neither of them request to visit the other's home. Neither of them would ask why Mark didn't want to go in the ocean. They had no idea why, but they knew the feeling was mutual._

 

_"Jack?" Mark asked one day, while holding his friend close to him in a hug goodbye._

 

_"Yeah, Maerk?" Mark chuckled, still enamored with the way he says his name._

 

_"Will you tell me about your family one day?" He rubbed his neck nervously, looking at the ground. Jack smiled, happy someone cared enough about him to even ask, let alone be shy about it._

 

_"One day. Will you tell me about why you won't go in the ocean?" Jack replied. Mark smiled._

 

_"One day."_

* * *

"One day never came, Jack." Mark said, running his hands through his red fringe smiling.

 

"You never asked again, Maerk, now stop stallin'." Jack laughed, sitting in the car with his best friend. They were overlooking the ocean, just at the edge of the beach, but Mark was terrified. His hands we gripping the door and console, and his whole body was rigid now. 

 

Mark trusted Jack, with his whole life really. Which is why he let him talk him into coming here. They were both in swim shorts and plain t shirts, sitting in Mark's car with the sun beaming down on them. 

 

"I'm not stalling, i'm having a good memory." Mark fussed, making Jack throw his head back in laughter. 

 

"Well, why don't you step out the car and make a new one?" Jack mused, smiling at him as he opens his own door. Mark exhaled and rolled his eyes, opening his door as well.

 

"Jack, i swear once i get over this we're jumping off diving boards." Jack tensed, then huffed out a laugh as he realized Mark was playing off his fear of heights. He nodded as the rounded the car, and he offered out his hand just like he always did for Mark. This time, unlike the first time they met, Mark held onto his hand for dear life. 

 

"Baby steps, baby steps." Jack said, inching towards the water. The sun beamed down on Mark, highlighting his features, and Jack smiled at him, running his free hand through his green hair. Meanwhile, Mark was admiring the shimmer of Jack's pale skin, and couldnt help the snicker that escaped him.

 

"What are you laughin' at you doof?" Jack chastised, pointing a bony finger at him.

 

"You look like a vampire right now, you're all sparkly." Mark smiled keeping his eyes trained on his best friend. Jack rolled his eyes and huffed. 

 

"Do not." He pouted. 

 

"You're cute when you pout." Mark pointed out, making Jack's ears tinge red. 

 

"Shut up and come swim with me ya smelly." Jack shot back, making them move once more. They reached the edge of the water, and Mark watched as Jack sat down in the sand, sticking his legs in the water. "It's warm." He stated, using his arm to shade him from the sun.

 

Mark sighed, easing his way down on the hot sand while sucking in a breath. He cautiously stuck his toe in the water, flinching a bit at the contact. He felt a hand lock onto his, and he saw a nod out of peripheral. He sighed, sticking one whole foot in, his nerves relaxing. 

 

"S'not so bad huh?" Jack said, watching the families play farther out in the water with a fond look. 

 

"Nah," Mark said, "Not so bad at all."

 

They waded their legs in silence, until Jack spoke up.

 

"They're great people y'know, my family. I'm not ashamed, i'm just scared."

Mark stared at him, nodding, enamored.

 

"I'm the youngest, so it's tiring after awhile right? Sometimes i feel like my ambitions don't matter. I didn't want to bring you into that."

 

Mark pulls him into a side hug, and Jack sighs, laying on his shoulder. 

 

"They'd probably love you. Alot more than me. You have so much going for you, and i'm still dreaming."

 

"Jack, you have 15 million people who love you, think you're a god among men. What's it matter what everyone else thinks?" 

 

"Me, sadly." He snuggled into Mark, listening to his staggered breathing.

 

"Well, i don't. And i count for 16 million people." Mark said, smiling. Jack smirked, sitting up to face his friend. 

 

"Yeah? Why's that?" Jack questioned, slipping his lower half into the water and standing near Mark's legs.

 

"I'm your best friend, and i let you drag me to this hellsite because i trust you." 

 

Jack nodded then frowned comically. "It's not a hellsite Mark, it's paradise." 

Mark smiled, looking around at all the people in the water, smiling and enjoying themselves. He could do that, right? 

 

"Sure, it's a paradise, a watery grave." 

 

Jack splashed water on him, giggling. 

 

"Everywhere can be a paradise you ass."

 

"Oh? Even the top of Mt. Everest?" Mark added comically, earning him another splash.

 

"Shut up." Jack said, pulling his wet body out of the water. "But yes, even the top of that terrifying rock." 

 

Mark chuckled, pushing himself off the ground. 

 

"I think being here could be paradise, if you're here at least." Mark stated with a faraway look. Jack smiled, bumping his shoulder as he stands. 

 

"I think here is paradise too." They got in the car, laughing and giggling on the way to Jack's apartment. When they arrived, Jack turned to Mark and smiled. 

 

"Thank you."

 

"For what?"

 

"Driving me home." Jack says, smiling in reminiscence. Mark sighs happily as he gets out of the car, and drives back home. The world _could_ be paradise, with the right people around. 

 

 

 


End file.
